“There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under the heavens” -Ecclesiastes 3:1

While thinking about these next few months that are coming up, I have been constantly reminded that we all go through different seasons of life. I have definitely experienced this throughout my whole first year of college. Each season has brought about something new in my life. It’s really cool to see how God works through these things and brings beauty out of brokenness. This year has definitely been a rollercoaster ride, but it has been one great adventure. The fact that my freshman year is coming to an end is such a crazy thing to think about. It seems like just yesterday I was posting my first blog, and still trying to figure out where all of the buildings were located on campus.

Now that I’ve been here for a while, I honestly cannot tell you how thankful I am to have the opportunity to go to a school like this. I have been immensely blessed with such wonderful friends, professors, and faculty that are here at MNU that have come to be like family to me. I have also experienced really great times this year that have given me such cool memories to look back on.

If you’re coming here next year, be excited! Cause this place is pretty awesome. :]

So now that I’m done giving my opinion about how awesome MNU is (maybe I’m a little biased) I want to share with you guys something else I’ve learned lately.

I’ve learned that you don’t always have to please everyone.
I’ve learned that pleasing God needs the most important thing in my life.
I’ve also come to realize that I fail at this a lot and that I can be pretty weak sometimes.
But I also know that God is greater than my weakness.

I want to work harder at remembering that every single day. But the thing is, no matter how hard I try, I cannot do that on my own. I need God’s strength and grace every single day. So in other words,
I’m learning to trust God with that strength and grace even more every day. I just wanted to challenge you guys to do the same thing. Let’s boast in our weakness because His grace is sufficient for us.

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” -2 Corinthians 12:9

Just a little encouragement and I thought I’d let you know what was on my heart. Thank you for reading if you have been! I also wanted to put together some highlights of this past year into one collage of pictures. So here it is! I’ll explain a little more about it underneath:

This is a collage of just some of the awesome things that took place this year. The picture on the far left is of Halloween. This was super fun because Jazmine (the penguin) and I (the fox) made our own costumes, We had a blast doing it and there was a Halloween party that night that was also really great. The picture in the upper middle part of the collage was taken at homecoming, the one to the right of that was taken at a skating rink that was in the downtown plaza, the middle picture that’s at the bottom was when I went to the Rend Collective Concert with some friends, and the bottom right picture was when all of us on campus went sledding outside on one of our snow days!

These are only a few of the amazing times that I’ve had here at MNU. :] I’m so thankful for every single one of them. I love looking back and seeing where God has taken me and it’s crazy to think that he’s already bringing me through a new chapter in my life. I also hope the same is for you. Keep trusting in His plan and looking forward to what new things God may be bringing about in your life.

Here is a video from a cool academic event on campus called 7×7 Challenge. 7 Professors had 7 minutes to discuss an area of study that interested them, and then we in the audience voted on the most interesting or our favorite presentation. I included clips from every speaker and a few funny moments. Hope you enjoy!

Here is a video from my church a couple weeks ago. For those just tuning in, I go to Mission Church in Overland Park. This is Rachel and Wallace Fa’agutu, they are Hawaiian musicians and also children’s ministers. They have an album called “Little Songbirds” that I would STRONGLY recommend, especially if you know kids and want some fun worship music with an island influence They also have a few other records here: http://rachelnicolemusic.com/discography/.

This particular song is by Matisyahu called “Live Like a Warrior.” I’m a HUGE fan of their cover, so I hope you enjoy it too!

Hello friends! We are at the final week of school here at MidAmerica. It is exciting, sad, and weird all at the same time. It is so crazy to me how I have already been through my first year of college! It literally flew by. I had some great memories, and I learned a lot too.

So in honor of the end of school, here are some of my favorite memories =:

HOMECOMING 2013

I wrote a whole blog about this night… I mean it was absolutely insane. We got to Uptown Theater had a bunch of fun, but we left in the pouring rain only to find that we had a flat tire. So we got stuck downtown, in the pouring rain, with a flat tire, at a creepy gas station, for quite awhile. It is something I will never forget.

NEW ROOM AND ROOMIE

It was so exciting to move in with one of my best friends Mckenna Bessmer this semester! We had such a blast! This was our room:

DAN WRIGHT

Yup my pal Dan Wright is one of my favorite memories this year basically because he is the most entertaining person you will ever talk to. If you are a student here and you don’t know him, or you are coming here next year, you need to meet this crazy kid. He probably won’t even see this because he refuses to read my blogs (-__-) Basically he is a kid full of one-liners and he will make you laugh for hours.

PLAZA WITH MY FAVORITE GIRLS

If you have ever been to Kansas City during Christmastime… you know that the Plaza is the place to go (also Crown Center). There is something so wonderful about Kansas City

OLAF ON CAMPUS

There really isn’t anything else to say.

SNOW DAYS 2014

Basically one of the best things in life is being stuck on campus with all of your best friends in the snow with NO SCHOOL.

WORLDS OF FUN LAST NIGHT

This weekend was MAX week! So we got to go to Worlds of Fun for Nazarene Night. This is the Mamba:

Basically this year has been absolutely crazy. I have met some amazing people that I am so thankful for! It is going to be hard to leave all of them for a few months, but it is exciting to know I still have a few more years with these awesome people. As a freshman you come to college, nervous but excited. You meet people the first week and for the most part you move on and meet other people. You have to get adjusted to the hard and long study life. You have to get used to challenging professors and being responsible for your own grades. It was a crazy experience for me, but I learned so much! And I grew up a ton! All in a good way.

There is an endless list of lessons I’ve learned my second year of being at MNU.

However, If I named them all, I’d be writing for a week straight–no joke.

So here it is–a few valuables that I think everyone can benefit from:

Completing homework before Sunday.

This theory sounds ridiculous. But trust me, it’s the best thing in the world. I’m not ashamed to admit it, but there has been one day this semester where I’ve actually gotten all of my homework done on a Saturday and had nothing to do on a Sunday–imagine that, having the intended Sabbath day to relax. Now, I’m not saying that everyone should live by this rule–heck, I can’t even keep up with it–but it really does take a lot of weight and stress from your shoulders.

Getting Involved.

I’ve Probably said this before . . . and I’ll keep saying it: getting involved is one of the best things you can do. It will solve almost all of your problems: If you’re worried about making friends–get involved by going to events. If you’re worried that you’re going to be broke–get involved with working on campus. If you’re worried that no one will hear your voice–get involved with theater and choir. If you’re worried you’re going to be single for life–get involved with the ministry majors (wink wink.) Okay, that last one was a joke (Kinda). But now you have a clear idea on how getting involved at MNU can be beneficial.

Patience

Three Words My Friends: Patience is virtue.

Netflix

So Netflix is probably one of the greatest inventions God has blessed us with.( Thank you Jesus!!!) And I don’t think I need to explain myself when it comes to this subject. But if I’d suggest one thing, I’d tell you to use it wisely–there are times when it can be a double-ended sword.

Dreams are real and they do come true.

This seems cliche, and like a line pulled from a Disney movie, but it’s a legit statement. I’m not going to sit here–laptop warm on my lap–and lie to you over the internet. But in all honesty, MidAmerica Nazarene University has made it possible for so many dreams of mine to come true. I’ve been encountered with so many opportunities. Half of them shouldn’t be possible, but they are. Literally, my heart jumps with glee. I am so blessed, and my goal for all of you is to have that same experience–for Christ to fill your hearts with love and security in all things that you do. Guys, dreams are real, and they do come true. And I’m excited for everyone to experience that here at MNU.

Wow, life is most definitely a GO GO GO venture.
This world has so much to offer and so many directions that continuously pull.

Yet, I have to be reminded to take a moment and stop.

Yeah you heard that right, STOP; everything.

In this, we realize what God really has to offer us. Sometimes this is an opportunity.

MidAmerica sends out trips every year locally, nationally, and worldwide that impact communities immensely. These range from Haiti, Arizona, and Africa. They also encompass construction, medical care, and education. The best part is that these trips are student and sponsor led. You don’t just GO. You get to plan and decide where to go. The impact these trips have on both parties is unmatched.

The call to go begins with a call to be.

If you want to help support; please comment or email me at jballigier@mnu.edu

So this past weekend was Easter! Most people on campus went home for the holiday, but that wasn’t the case for me. I actually have had some car troubles this past weekend. This was kind of a bummer for me because I would have liked to go home and see my family over the weekend, but I’ve definitely been learning a lot through it. Not having a car has opened my eyes a lot to how much I depend on it. I have had to ask people to drive me places more during this past week than I ever have had to during this past year. I definitely have learned that I need to not take things for granted so easily. Compared to most people in the world, I am extremely fortunate.

I also want to share with you guys what Easter means to me.

Bunnies, and candy, and Easter eggs. :]

No, those are all great things, obviously. Who doesn’t love those things? But the real meaning of Easter rests on the Truth of Jesus Christ. He came to this earth, was crucified, and rose again to show us this indescribable love. I can testify to this in my own life that this is the truth. The cross of Christ has bore my sins and has given me new life in Him. He has not only transformed my life here on earth, but he has also given me eternal life with Him after this earthly life.

I went to a worship service the other night and they played the song “Nothing Holding Me Back” by Bryan and Katie Torwalt. If you haven’t heard this song, please go listen to it! What I take from this song is thankfulness and gratefulness for what Jesus has done for us. The chorus says:

Nothing is holding me back from you,

Redeemer of my soul,

now nothing can hold me back from you,

your love will never let me go.

I absolutely love this song because it reminds me of the verse in Romans that says:

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who love us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:37-39

We are more than conquerors because of what Christ has done for us. What an amazing message that is. This is why I have hope.

This is the reason for the joy in my life.

So I just thought I’d be real with you guys about what I believe and I thought it was fitting to tell you all these things because of the Easter season. :] I hope this gave you some sort of hope or encouragement. If you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to say anything!

Also, a little about MNU. I went to a baseball game at Graceland in Iowa this weekend and we dominated. So that’s pretty great! I also went to an Easter service on Sunday at Living Hope Church and there were multiple people that attend this church that were baptized at the end of the service. It was a wonderful celebration. :] After church Lisa Downs, who I mentioned in one of my blogs before this, invited some people over for a Easter Sunday lunch. I felt entirely blessed to be able to have these people in my life and spend Easter with them. It also helped that the food was amazing. :] finals week is coming up as well and I can just tell you now, there will be LOTS of coffee runs and late nights.

First off: I purposely left out the “h”
Secondly: Friends, whether it be in class assignments, friendships, appointments, business transactions, bill payments, and probably everything else, Follow Through is critical.

It’s one thing to start, one thing to begin, one thing to initiate something. It is another to follow through with whatever that thing may be.

Bing.com’s dictionary has defined the phrase as follows:
“finish doing something: to take further action as a consequence or extension of a previous action, especially to continue something through to completion”

In other words, do and finish what you are supposed to do.

Even if, and especially when a commitment may be difficult, undesirable, or unattractive, Follow through is something that must happen if one is desiring a full, respectable, and respected life.

I write this as a person rich in experience. Unfortunately, it’s rich from the experience of not following through. Case in point, this blog was due two weeks ago. Thank you merciful bosses.

I will also say friends that when I don’t follow through with assignments, relationships, and other commitments, there is usually a guilt and a sort of dark cloud that constantly hangs over my head. Reminiscent of procrastinating on essays anyone?
But maybe what’s worse than the guilt is the eventual apathy that comes from failing to follow through.

Being apathetic is one of the most depressing things I have ever experienced friends, don’t go down that road.

I can also tell you that in the times that I do follow through, accomplishment, relief and joy take place That my friends is never not enjoyed.

So that’s it friends. It starts with an “F” and it ends with an “ollow through.” I hope you can internalize this truth for yourself.

Not that you really need to be persuaded because, by now, we already know that MidAmerica is an outstanding university with even more outstanding students. But in case you needed to be reminded, here’s a few reasons why you should come to MNU.

1. Fact: MNU is one of the few universities that start later in the fall. So, when University A and B have to start school on the 17th, we get to start school on the 27th–say hello to four months of summer!

2. An average classroom size is 1:14 ratio–so that means plenty of one-on-one time.

3. It’s a community where everyone knows your name–not joking.

4. The professors here are lenient and understanding–they literally care about your LIFE!

5. World’s of Fun is closed down one day a year, every year, for the students at our university and Nazarene districts across the states–and it’s cheaper, too!

6. Spicy Chicken Thursdays–Yeah, you can’t get any better than that!

7. FREE LAUNDRY!!!!!!!!!!

8. You can walk to every class you have on campus and be there in five minutes or less.

9. We have tons of community events like glow with the flow–imagine big bounce houses, Chick-fil-a, and glow sticks.

10. I’ll be a Freshman RA–Umm, yeah. Be excited.

11. School ends on MAY 2ND!

12. Lastly, it’s a community that truly loves you for you, and wants you to embrace who you are–seriously, it couldn’t get any better than that.